Sometimes the heart desires what it wants
by thegrayfoxwrites
Summary: A young man is about to be granted his heart's desire...or is it his heart's want?
1. Chapter 1

Hashimoto sat down in the park looking at the object of his desires…the woman of his dreams.

Every day, at a certain time, the woman of his dreams always came out to the park near his office, and sat down and enjoyed the calm afternoon breeze. Sometimes she read a book, or she did some knitting (something Hashimoto thought odd) , or she occasionally shared lunch with her husband. Which was what she was doing right now.

 _Her husband_ Hashimoto thought bitterly. He was a short guy who owned and operated a business nearby. Hashimoto knew him slightly; he had once been at the business to buy some motorcycle accessories…which was where he had first seen _her._ The shop was not far from the office where Hashimoto worked as a salaryman. He had liked the guy immediately, and he still did , though sometimes, he felt bitter towards the guy for being so darn 'lucky'.

'I wonder how he got such a beautiful lady, a gaijin for that matter, as his wife', Hashimoto thought bitterly. 'If only I was in his shoes'. But he soon pushed away the thought. Salarymen like him were not allowed the luxury of dreaming…except if it was for the benefit of their company. He looked longingly at the couple. They were so happy in each other's presence, with the kind of happiness that Hashimoto could only dream of. And he felt himself seriously unlucky in love…as if someone would love him,a slightly overweight, tired looking, nerdy, easily perspiring, history otaku, who wore an ugly pair of glasses, and had been working as a salaryman for the last five years since graduating. He had tried a few times to get dates back in his university days, only to be turned down every the most part, he did not mind the no-lady status, but he was getting close to his thirties, and he did not want to be alone for too long.

And the painful thing was that he had seen the woman of his dreams….but she was with another….

Sometimes, life was just plain unlucky.

Later that evening, Hashimoto was at home in his meager studio flat, finishing his supper of ramen(unlike most bachelors, he was a good cook), and was about to settle down on the sofa to watch some television, when he remembered that he had not called his brother in some time…and he decided to call up his brother immediately. He picked up his mobile phone, and dialed the number…and got a very strange response…

'Good evening, I am the goddess Freya of the Goddess help line. I will be with you shortly to grant you your wish.! Hold on!'

Hashimoto was stunned for one minute…then….'Wait, who is this,? Have I called a wrong number?'…..

Only to see a bright light shine in his room. He turned to see a picture on his wall….a beautiful picture of a landscape that his grandmother had given him when he had gotten his current job…glow…and a female figure stepped out of the picture

(In the years to come, when Hashimoto told this strange story, he would usually add the caveat..Yes, it sounds strange, but that is what happened. Lie, I do not!)

The female figure stood, or, levitated before Hashimoto, allowing him to take in her features. She was a woman his height, with long black hair, arranged in a pigtail reaching to her waist, with a trim figure and a large bust, concealed in a flowing green had markings on her exquisite face which were in the shape of five pointed stars, clear blue eyes, a delicate nose, and a sensual lip.

The figure spoke, saying "Good evening Mr Kenjiro Hashimoto', I am goddess first class, second category unlimited Freya. I am here to grant you a I must warn you that you are entitled to just one wish, So, what is your heart's desire".?

There was silence ….then Hashimoto said, in a stunned and surprised voice….

'Are you for real?'

* * *

 _This is my first attempt at a multichapter story. I will update in two weeks time, hopefully, as I will be very busy in the coming days._

 _Read and review please!_


	2. Chapter 2

Kenjiro Hashimoto had never been so surprised in his life….at least not since the time one of his uncles had pretended to forget his fifth birthday…only to surprise him with his very first bicycle

Are you for real? he asked again…looking at the figure cloaked in a green flowing gown with the strange markings on her face

Yes, she said, with a gentle smile. I am a goddess, and my name is Freya, and I have been sent to grant you a wish Mr Kenjiro Hashimoto.

Kenjiro Hashimoto stared in silence at the lady….no, goddess…in front of him, and thought to himself…'.I must be dreaming. I fell asleep on my chair…and I am having a vivid dream….like the ones my cousin Mutusumi does research on at the university. Goddesses don't exist…and anyway…why isn't she demanding I worship her or something?'

He must have been thinking out loud…because…the goddess said to him 'You are not dreaming, and I am not that kind of goddess'

Hashimoto was shocked "You just read my mind!'' he said….in a shocked voice.

'Yes'…and I have come to grant you a wish , as I said.

Hashimoto decided 'All right…I'll play along. Maybe I am hallucinating. Salaryman life can be a bit bad for the mind…or maybe I have watched too much anime…no wait…I wasn't much of an anime fan anyway!'.

He said…So, goddess Fryer…or was it Frida…

'Freya'…the goddess corrected.

'Freya'. He said….what makes me, an ordinary Japanese salaryman, working for an ordinary company qualify for a wish? I don't recall sending in an application or something…

'Well'…the goddess said..'We at the Goddess Helpline choose to help people who are in need, and your name came up as someone who is a diligent worker, has a kind heart, yet is full of loneliness and regrets. So, Yggdrassil decided that you have a need…and assigned a worker from the Helpline to you"

Hold up..Hashimoto said…What is this Yggdrassil

'The system which controls everything across all Universes in this worlds realm"

Hashimoto digested that information for some time….then remembered watching a documentary called Cosmos where the narrator mentioned that there were probably multiple universes in the world…and thought 'Hmm…''

So, he said…'I am entitled to a wish'?

'Yes', she said…'Any wish you desire'.

Hmm…thought Hashimoto…what would I wish for. A multitude of possibilities…some bizarre, some strange…flew through his mind. 'But then again.'…he thought….'How do I know she is for real?'

All right Goddess…he said…I am not ready for a wish….but I would like to have some proof that you are for real. How about a demonstration of your power for once.'

The Goddess looked thoughtful for a while, then stretched her hands….

And the next second they were in front of a school.

A familiar school

His old elementary school

And they were looking in a window in his old class, where his eleven year old self was sitting down in the desk closest to the door…looking intently at the teacher…as he taught them mathematics. He looked round many of his old school friends…like Takeo, Hitoshi, Ryu, and his first crush, Hime….and a wave of nostalgia hit him.

The Goddess then stretched her hands again…and he saw himself at his old high school…collecting a prize for being the best mathematics student in the region. The principal was giving a speech hailing him as a fine blazing light of the future (If only he could see me now..thought Hiro bitterly')..and he stood there…looking very proud.

Then the Goddess stretched her hands again…and they were back in his flat.

Do you believe me? 'she asked'?

Hashimoto was stunned….it had been all so real…..and he knew somehow that this was no trick. Ok…maybe he was a bit gullible…but this was so…real.

All right…he said …I am ready to make a wish….

He thought a bit longer..thought about the fact that despite his friends, and his family, and his success as a student…he had been lonely,always lonely, even now…. and then thought about _her_

He had not thought about her that night.

But…as her image came into her mind…he thought long and hard and then said…I wish…that Belldandy Morisato was my beloved companion…

And he looked at the Goddess expectantly

Only to see a look of anger on her face.


End file.
